Highlights:

• Digital payment system to speed up the entry process by 16 to 17 minutes per vehicle
• Entrance fee of Tk57.50 will remain unchanged
• Full implementation was delayed due to lack of trained professionals
• More than 100,000 port workers registered in the digital system
• Drivers can pre-pay their fees via mobile banking

The Chattogram Port is expected to fully implement a digital entry fee payment system for cargo vehicles by the end of November, in a bid to reduce traffic congestion and speed up port operations.

Initially introduced in July 2021, the digital payment process experienced operational delays, but the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) now expects 100% efficiency by the end of this month.

Currently, each vehicle entering the port pays an entry fee of Tk57.50, and the manual process takes 15-20 minutes, causing bottlenecks at the port entrance.

Under the new digital system, drivers will be able to pre-pay fees via mobile banking from any location, allowing entry within one to two minutes of arrival.

The new system is expected to improve transparency and create a fairer entry process for approximately 8,000 cargo vehicles that use the port daily.

The Terminal Operating System (TOS), used by the CPA to manage port activities, will also manage the digital payment system. CPA officials confirmed that entry fees remain unchanged, with vehicles allowed direct access to the port yard after showing proof of payment.

Lt Col Md Jahirul Islam, CPA security director, explained that the digital system is already partially in use, with user feedback being incorporated as the port finalizes its full rollout.

“We are aiming for 100% integration of digital access fees by the third week of November,” he said.

To facilitate this transition, approximately 100,000 truck drivers and helpers involved in port operations have been registered in the port’s digital system, which is expected to significantly reduce waiting times and ease congestion at ports of entry.

The digital transformation of the port began in 2012 with the computerized container terminal management system, later upgraded to TOS.

Although TOS online payment for entry tickets was launched in 2021, early adoption was limited due to the need to train drivers in digital processes.

Clearing and Forwarding (C&F) agents, initially limited to 20, are now also transitioning to the digital system, with plans to extend this to all C&F vehicles by the end of November.

Chowdhury Zafar Ahmed, general secretary of the Bangladesh Covered Van Truck Prime Mover Cargo Transport Owners Association, hailed the digital initiative for its convenience, saying: “This will enable vehicles to enter the port by simply presenting digital proof of payment , which will speed up the process. “

He also stressed the importance of training port security personnel in online pass management to avoid confusion at entry.

Transportation workers expressed optimism that the digital system would eliminate unofficial accusations and harassment. Previously, drivers would have faced demands for additional payments despite meeting entry fee requirements.

Kazi Mahmud Imam Bilu, general secretary of the Chattogram Customs Brokers Association, welcomed the initiative, saying, “Online automation will make transportation-related tasks at the port much easier and faster once fully implemented. artwork “.